beleaguered

adjective

be·​lea·​guered bi-ˈlē-gərd How to pronounce beleaguered (audio)
bē-
: suffering or being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment
an economically beleaguered city
With its life-support system cut off, the beleaguered college has embarked on a tortuous campaign to keep going.Lucinda Harper
… as he evolved from conformist to opportunist to reformer to revolutionary to beleaguered leader.Philip Taubman

Examples of beleaguered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Netflix’s beleaguered genre mash up Emilia Perez won two awards, Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña and Film Not In The English Language while A Real Pain won Best Supporting Actor for Kieran Culkin and Original Screenplay. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025 The Proposal Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds joined forces in this 2009 rom-com, where Bullock plays a businesswoman who attempts to marry her beleaguered assistant to avoid being deported to Canada. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025 Converging waters often birth sacred places, places that pry open beleaguered souls Why not here? Mike Belleme, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025 In older, less modern buildings, there are colossal problems with vacancy, falling values and owners in financial distress forced to hand the keys back to beleaguered lenders. Fritz Kaegi, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for beleaguered 

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of beleaguer

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beleaguered was in 1644

Dictionary Entries Near beleaguered

Cite this Entry

“Beleaguered.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beleaguered. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on beleaguered

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!